Vatican Trial: Key Witness “Pardoned” by the Pope

On April 24, 2024, one of the characters at the heart of the trial of the century, which shook Vatican City for many months, Alberto Perlasca, was reinstated in his position as promoter of justice – the equivalent of a prosecutor – at the Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature, the highest judicial body of the Church.

Alberto Perlasca, former head of the Administrative Office of the Secretariat of State, was the main prosecution witness against Cardinal Becciu, sentenced on December 16, 2023 to five and a half years in prison for fraud, as part of a financial transaction that caused the Vatican to lose several hundred million euros.

During the trial, the testimony of Msgr. Perlasca – who is not a bishop but an honorary prelate of His Holiness which allows him to bear the title of “monsignor” – had raised numerous questions and given rise to certain controversies, notably because of a memorandum written by the prelate on the indications of people linked to the Vatileaks scandal.

In his indictment during the trial, the promoter of justice of the Vatican court, Alessandro Didi, surprised more than one observer by minimizing the role played by Alberto Perlasca in this whole affair, thus opening the way to his potential reinstatement.

In 2017, Francis noted that “reforming” the Roman Curia was like “cleaning the Sphinx of Egypt with a toothbrush.” With Cardinal Becciu moved aside, the Sphinx may have become more inclined to be manipulated.

The Vatican trial is, however, far from ancient history, as the condemned have appealed the decision against them in the first instance, and a second trial must take place, even if more than one prelate would like to see it indefinitely postponed.